Integrated method for combustion stability prediction

Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Abstract

Major obstacles in overcoming combustion instability include the absence of a mechanistic and a priori prediction capability, and the difficulty in studying instability in the laboratory due to the perceived need for testing at the full-scale pressure and geometry to ensure that important processes are maintained. A hierarchal approach toward combustion instability is described that comprises experiment, analysis, and highfidelity computation to develop combustion response submodels that can be used in engineering-level design analysis. The paper provides an illustrative example of how these elements are used to develop a prediction for growth rates in model rocket combustors that generate spontaneous longitudinal combustion instabilities.